Castlrford People - Richard Stoker

"Richard Stoker is the apotheosis of a typical renaissance man" - Humphrey Carpenter, BBC Radio 3.

A chance meeting with Lord Attenborough at Elstree Studios fifty years ago led to Richard's dual role of film composer and actor. Filming King's latest feature brought Richard back to Elstree. Since Lord Attenborough took him over to meet Stanley Black, the MD of ABC Pictures, his duel career continued. Over sixty films later he is proud of his record as an actor and composer. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Code, Anamnesis, The Golden Age, Mrs Beaton, The Queen, the Golden Compass, Frankly and Wolfman.

Richard has also appeared on BBC2 in a series on happiness in which he was judged to be the happiest person present.

Photograph of Richard outside Castleford Library

Picture of Richard Stoker (right) with a friend outside Castleford Library in 1954

From the age of seven Richard has written or composed over 300 works of poetry, lyrics, prose and music; many of which have been performed and broadcast world wide. His first broadcast by the BBC was when he was fifteen.

Richard studied at the RAM (Royal Academy of Music) with Lennox Berkeley and in Paris, as a Mendelssohn Scholar, with Nadia Boulanger. From 1963 until 1987 he was Professor of Composition and a tutor at the Royal Academy of Music.

He was editor of the Composer magazine from 1969 until 1980.

New York Vistas

New York is more, much more than a city of dreams:
A helpful junkie in baggy grey flannel slacks, sweat shirt,
holed socks, newspaper filled down-at-heel sandals, says:
'Give me a dime, sir,' he shivers, I give him a dollar
'Take yer where yer going' man fur that! he says, wiping his
runny nose on his sleeve as he tries to keep out the cold.
His hand on my arm like a blind man guides me the few blocks from
Times Square to 'Musical America': 'Have a good day, sir,' he says
leaving me with a faint hearted weary half salute as he trudges away
through cold February snow. Later I'm propelled by yellow cab
along a Gershwin Musical of colourful canopied entrances to the
litter on Broadway; descending, the architecture on 34th street
reminds me unexpectedly of Leeds/Yorkshire where in china tea and
coffee scented shopping arcades -- I played as a lad of seven.
Changing lifts near the top of Empire State I remember the 'huddled
masses yearning to breath free'. Looking out over Manhattan my 'tired
poor' guide is now far, far below me. 'Does the Battery flagpole still
stand in its place as in 1797 two hundred or so years ago?' I wonder.
The city of dreams is now telescoped in time with more, much more, -- a
darker side -- a city-of-sorrow seen through a rich 'golden-door'.